The Toy Department – Episode 303

In Episode 303, Madden and Kolsky are tremendously delayed by an overlong pre-show discussion and Derek tempts fate by predicting a short show, so they hop in with:

  • The latest from The Challenge: All-Stars 3 (1:55) and the tragic errors from Sylvia and the Treehouse in a week of wanton stupidity…
  • The return of Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys (21:00), its eternal commitment to upping the ante in terms of gross-out violence, and its overall success as a television show…
  • Danny Boyle’s FX series Pistol (30:05), the fascinating 70’s punk world it transports you too and the cultural impact of the Sex Pistols…
  • Norm MacDonald’s posthumous comedy special Nothing Special (38:35) and how the post-show conversation featuring a collection of comedy greats helps to contextualize and appreciate Norm’s work and life…
  • Adam Sandler’s new Netflix film Hustle (46:45) and how it’s a really good dramatic film about basketball, featuring a really wonderful cast of both actors and real hoopers…
  • Homework for next Friday (58:20), including: more of The Challenge: All-Stars 3, the new HBO Max show Irma Vep, the Michelle Yeoh-starring film Everything Everywhere All At Once (now available on various VOD platforms), the new Melissa McCarthy Netflix show God’s Favorite Idiot and the new film Metal Lords (also on Netflix)…

The Toy Department – Episode 118

In Episode 118, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky share their plans for the evening before focusing in on:

  • Some thoughts on FX’s Atlanta (2:35) after the finalé of its second season, with an aside on Donald Glover’s upcoming appearance in Solo…
  • The season finalé of Barry on HBO (10:55) and whether the writers have painted themselves into a corner for Season 2 with the way the first season ended…
  • David Letterman’s Netflix show (20:05) and whether it maybe should have just been a podcast…
  • The Arctic Monkeys new album, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (33:00) and how much of a tonal shift it represents for a band that broke out in popularity after their previous record…
  • A check-in with the NBA Playoffs (44:10) and an argument about whether either of the teams who lost Game 1 of their conference finals series still has a chance to advance to the NBA Finals…
  • The announcement of Netflix/ESPN’s new 10-hour documentary about Michael Jordan’s Bulls (1:00:55), how it’s time to remind the world of Jordan’s greatness and how Kolsky can barely contain his excitement…
  • Homework for next week (1:12:40), including: including Ali Wong’s new standup special on Netflix and the series finalé of the sitcom New Girl…

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